as in dwarves
a person of no importance or influence
the magazine's editor in chief was notorious for treating staffers as insects, often not even bothering to learn their names
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Recent Examples of insects
Small flying insects observed near dining room soda machine.
—
Gege Reed, Louisville Courier Journal, 3 Oct. 2025
These insects suck sap from healthy plants and leave a sticky substance behind.
—Karen Brewer Grossman, Southern Living, 2 Oct. 2025
These support both seed-eating birds as well as the insects that birds prey on.
—Maria Azzurra Volpe, MSNBC Newsweek, 1 Oct. 2025
Bond has helped them with yard work, trimming bushes and spraying for insects.
—Natalie Davies, Freep.com, 1 Oct. 2025
Leave some or all native perennial plants intact over winter as habitat for beneficial insects and songbirds.
—Andy Wilcox, Better Homes & Gardens, 30 Sep. 2025
Stressed trees in hot and dry conditions are more at risk of wildfires, insects and invasive species that compete for resources.
—Hayleigh Evans, AZCentral.com, 25 Sep. 2025
While planting any flowering plant can be helpful for other insects, Timm's mom Julie stressed the importance that monarchs need milkweed to survive.
—Caitlin Looby, jsonline.com, 25 Sep. 2025
In other words, insects have thoughts and feelings.
—Big Think, 25 Sep. 2025
Gege Reed, Louisville Courier Journal, 3 Oct. 2025
These insects suck sap from healthy plants and leave a sticky substance behind.
—Karen Brewer Grossman, Southern Living, 2 Oct. 2025
These support both seed-eating birds as well as the insects that birds prey on.
—Maria Azzurra Volpe, MSNBC Newsweek, 1 Oct. 2025
Bond has helped them with yard work, trimming bushes and spraying for insects.
—Natalie Davies, Freep.com, 1 Oct. 2025
Leave some or all native perennial plants intact over winter as habitat for beneficial insects and songbirds.
—Andy Wilcox, Better Homes & Gardens, 30 Sep. 2025
Stressed trees in hot and dry conditions are more at risk of wildfires, insects and invasive species that compete for resources.
—Hayleigh Evans, AZCentral.com, 25 Sep. 2025
While planting any flowering plant can be helpful for other insects, Timm's mom Julie stressed the importance that monarchs need milkweed to survive.
—Caitlin Looby, jsonline.com, 25 Sep. 2025
In other words, insects have thoughts and feelings.
—Big Think, 25 Sep. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for insects
Noun
-
She, the cinema; he, the audience — these ciphers would be compelling in short-form, but in carrying a feature they’re only buoyed by the natural chemistry of their performers.—
Blake Simons,
IndieWire,
6 Sep. 2025
-
Most organizations have little to no understanding of what cryptographic ciphers, keys and protocols are in use across their networks, applications and devices.—
Anand Oswal,
Forbes.com,
2 Sep. 2025
Noun
-
More importantly, the narrative explores both sides of the conflict from the POV of grunts and 'nobodies' trying to navigate the post-Civil War state of the galaxy before the fighting stops.—
Fran Ruiz,
Space.com,
4 Aug. 2025
Noun
-
Hughes is one of the world's top lightweights in MMA, the sport where McGregor built his following and name.—
Brian Mazique,
Forbes.com,
19 Sep. 2025
Noun
-
And all these dwarves and elves and humans go, ‘What?—
Elisabeth Garber-Paul,
Rolling Stone,
2 Oct. 2025
-
The box covers the most popular classes and ancestries such as humans, elves, dwarves and halflings.—
Rob Wieland,
Forbes.com,
10 Sep. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Insects.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/insects. Accessed 5 Oct. 2025.
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